School-Based Mentoring

The Turn•Around Agenda (TTA) has a comprehensive school-based mentoring program for public schools that builds relationships among adults and students in the context of friendship, social development and academic achievement.

School-based mentoring takes place at the school during school hours. The purpose of the program is to target students at risk of leaving school early or who are socially isolated or failing to achieve their potential.

TTA’s overall goal is to have at least 1,000 youngsters and 250 mentors in the school-based mentoring program at all times using a group and/or team mentoring design.

Group mentoring involves one adult mentor forming a relationship with a group of up to four young people. The mentor assumes the role of leader and makes a commitment to meet regularly with the group over the course of one school year.

Team mentoring involves several adults working with small groups of young people, with an adult-to-youth ratio no greater than one to four.

The process for school-based mentoring:

An in-school program coordinator is assigned to each school cluster (high, middle and elementary schools) to manage the entire mentoring process and serve as a liaison between TTA and the school cluster.

A mentor is assigned up to four students or mentees that meet with their mentor one hour weekly as a group.

The emphasis of the mentoring process is primarily prevention, working with young people with moderate behavioral problems with the intent of preventing small problems from becoming big ones.

School-based mentoring objectives:

To place caring, competent, and consistent adults as mentors in public schools.

To have mentees demonstrate an increase in pro-social skills or competencies that protect them from a wide range of risk-taking behaviors that lead to school dropout, substance use/abuse, violence/gang activity, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

To have mentees demonstrate an increase in reading, math and/or writing and a stronger commitment to school thus reducing academic failure and school drop out.

To have mentees master new skills and develop a sense of belonging and bonding among peers, family and community thus reducing anti-social behavior and alienation within their environments.